Target: Gamaliel Cordoba, Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines

Goal: Demand the National Telecommunications Commission stop the censorship and threats towards an important TV network.

The National Telecommunications Commission of the Philippines (NTC) has been threatening the ABS-CBN network with cease-and-desist orders in an attempt to shut them down. ABS-CBN happens to be one of the biggest broadcast media outlets in the country, providing all manner of accurate and vital information about the coronavirus pandemic and the disease itself.

This is not the first time the network has been criticized or threatened with censorship. President Duterte attacked them for refusing to run his political ads during the 2016 elections. Reporters have been threatened with lawsuits for criticizing the country’s handling of its war on drugs. This most recent attempt at censorship is just one of many attempts to punish any news outlet for providing accurate information about the coronavirus, and it is just as unacceptable. Ignorance is incredibly dangerous during such dark times, and that goes double for ignorance enforced by the government.

We cannot let this network be threatened any further. Accurate news and information are vital to surviving the coronavirus pandemic. Sign this petition to demand the NTC stop issuing CAD and other threats to ABS-CBN immediately.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Commissioner Cordoba,

Your recent attempt at censorship of the ABS-CBN network is dangerous and unethical. ABS-CBN provides a slew of accurate information about the coronavirus, which is sorely needed during a time of panic and uncertainty. Worse, this is not the first time you or other forces have attempted to shut them down or censor them; President Duterte has already criticized them heavily for refusing to run his propaganda-filled political ads.

You must cease your attacks on this network immediately. Ignorance is extremely dangerous right now, and by threatening ABS-CBN for providing accurate information, you are sending a message that ignorance is correct, that we should not know all we can about the virus. This is not acceptable in the least. Drop the cease-and-desist against the network immediately, and stop threatening them.